CN101890928B - Side airbag apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a side airbag device capable of rapidly deploying an airbag deployed between a side wall of a vehicle compartment and a passenger, and improving restraint on the passenger. This side airbag device has an airbag (31) which is stored in a folded state and deployed between a vehicle compartment side wall (door) (14) and an occupant (19) by gas supply from an inflator (32), The side airbag device comprises: an upper cavity, which expands forward from the upper side of the seat (17); a lower cavity, which expands forward from the lower side of the seat (17); a middle cavity (36), which has a front edge (36a), The front edge (36a) is rearward compared with the front edge (34a) of the upper chamber (34) and the front edge (35a) of the lower chamber (35) and in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deployment direction of the airbag (31) extension formed.

Description

side airbag device

technical field

The present invention relates to a side airbag device deployed between a vehicle compartment side wall and an occupant.

Background technique

As a side airbag device, a side airbag device deployed between a seat on which an occupant sits and a door on which the occupant gets in and out is known.

Such a side airbag device protects occupants by mitigating side impact loads in the event of a side collision (side collision) of the vehicle.

As such a side airbag device, a side airbag device provided on a seat back that supports the back of an occupant of a seat is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

In the side airbag device of Patent Document 1, an airbag is formed by sewing the outer peripheral portions of two flat base fabrics. The plurality of inflation chambers allow the non-inflatable portion to expand when the airbag is inflated and deployed by adopting a telescopic structure for the non-inflatable portion.

That is, by employing a stretchable structure for the non-inflatable portion, it is possible to stabilize the operation of the airbag at the time of inflation and deployment. In addition, the telescoping structure of the non-inflatable portion of the airbag is formed in the slit.

However, in the side airbag device of Patent Document 1, since the expansion and contraction structure of the non-inflatable portion of the airbag is formed in the slit, there is a problem that the slit interferes with other components existing in the vehicle interior, such as the armrest, and cannot Quickly deploy the airbag.

In addition, in the side airbag device of Patent Document 1, since the non-inflatable portion that is not inflated by the fluid gas is made into a telescopic structure, it is difficult to keep the shape of the upper and lower chambers stable, and there is a possibility that the protection area deviates from the expected range. .

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-137059

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a side airbag device capable of quickly deploying an airbag deployed between a vehicle compartment side wall and an occupant, and improving restraint on the occupant.

The invention of claim 1 is a side airbag device having an airbag that is stored in a folded state and is deployed between a side wall of a vehicle compartment and an occupant by supplying gas from an inflator, and is characterized in that the side airbag The airbag device includes: an upper chamber that expands forward from the upper portion of the seat side; a lower chamber that expands forward from the lower portion of the seat side; The front edge is formed extending rearwardly compared with the front edge of the upper chamber and the front edge of the lower chamber in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deployment direction of the airbag.

The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that it has a first non-inflatable portion spanning between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and that the first non-inflatable portion is disposed on a side opposite to the inflatable portion with respect to the intermediate chamber.

The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that a second non-inflatable portion is provided between the intermediate chamber and the inflatable portion.

The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that the intermediate cavity is disposed opposite to the armrest portion of the side wall of the vehicle compartment, and the armrest portion has a cutout portion, and the cutout portion contacts the intermediate cavity to maintain the stability of the posture of the airbag. sex.

The invention of technical solution 5 is characterized in that the airbag is folded and stored through the front folding part and the side folding part of the inflatable part, wherein the front folding part is formed by folding the front edge of the upper cavity and the front edge of the lower cavity; the inflatable part The side folds are formed by folding the inflatable side of the upper and lower chambers together with the middle chamber.

(effect of invention)

The present invention can obtain the following effects.

In the invention of claim 1, in the side airbag device, the airbag is stored in a folded state, and is deployed between the vehicle compartment side wall and the occupant by supplying gas from the inflator. The airbag has an upper chamber extending from the upper side of the seat toward the occupant's chest and shoulders, and a lower chamber extending from the lower side of the seat toward the waist of the occupant.

Furthermore, there is an intermediate chamber formed on the side of the inflatable part between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and has an airbag located behind the front edge of the upper chamber and the front edge of the lower chamber and substantially perpendicular to the deployment direction of the airbag. The leading edge formed by extending in the direction, therefore, enables the middle chamber to expand at a time earlier than that of the upper and lower chambers. Thereby, the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be quickly deployed without interfering with the armrest.

In addition, since the distance between the upper chamber and the lower chamber is limited by the intermediate chamber, the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be stably deployed and the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be rapidly deployed.

Furthermore, the space between the side wall of the vehicle compartment and the occupants can be smoothly covered by the intermediate cavity. As a result, it is also possible to effectively restrain the vicinity of the waist of the occupant from an early time using the intermediate cavity.

In the invention of claim 2, the airbag has a first non-inflatable portion spanning between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, and the first non-inflatable portion is arranged on the side opposite to the inflatable portion with respect to the middle chamber. Therefore, the separation between the front upper chamber and the lower chamber can be restricted by the intermediate chamber, and the airbag after deployment can be stabilized.

In the invention of claim 3, since the second non-inflatable portion is provided between the intermediate chamber and the inflatable portion, separation between the upper chamber and the lower chamber can be restricted and the expanded shape can be further stabilized.

In the invention of claim 4, the intermediate chamber is disposed opposite to the armrest portion of the side wall of the vehicle compartment, the armrest portion has a cutout portion, and the cutout portion is brought into contact with the intermediate chamber to maintain the stability of the attitude of the airbag, Therefore, positional displacement of the intermediate chamber can be prevented. Moreover, since the contact area between the side wall of the vehicle compartment and the intermediate cavity can be increased, the restraint force on the occupant can be improved.

In the invention of claim 5, the airbag is folded and stored through the front end folded part and the side folded part of the inflatable part, wherein the front end folded part is formed by folding the front edge of the upper cavity and the front edge of the lower cavity; The upper chamber and the inflatable part side of the lower chamber are folded together with the intermediate chamber, so that the folded part on the inflatable part side can be inflated, and then the front-end folded part can be inflated. That is, by shifting the inflation timing of the inflator-side folded portion and the front-end folded portion, the pressure of the intermediate chamber can be increased first. Thereby, stable deployment of the airbag can be realized.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a side airbag device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the side airbag device shown in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 3 is an operation explanatory view showing a deployed state of the side airbag device shown in Fig. 1 .

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the airbag deployment procedure of the side airbag device shown in FIG. 1 .

Fig. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of folding of an airbag of the side airbag device shown in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of a side airbag device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side sectional view of a side airbag device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of a side airbag device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference signs

10----vehicle

12----car room

14 ---- compartment side wall (door)

17----seat

23----armrest

24 ---- dig out the department

30, 50, 70, 90----side airbag device

31----airbag

32----inflatable part

34----upper cavity

34a----leading edge

35----lower cavity

35a----leading edge

36----intermediate cavity

36a----leading edge

37----Second non-inflatable part

41----The leading edge of the airbag

47----The first non-inflatable part

49a----front folding part

49b----front folding part

Detailed ways

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the drawings are viewed in the direction of the reference numerals.

(Example 1)

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 has: a door 14, which forms the side of the vehicle body 11, for passengers 19 to get on and off; a roof 15, which forms the upper part of the vehicle body 11; a vehicle body floor 16, which forms the lower part of the vehicle body 11; A seat 17 (hereinafter referred to as "seat 17") is used for seating an occupant 19;

The door 14 has: a door main body 21; a window 22, which is provided on the upper part of the door main body 21 in a manner that can be freely raised and lowered; In addition, the door 14 is an embodiment of the side wall of the vehicle compartment.

A cutout (recess) 24 is formed in the armrest 23 , and the cutout 24 is brought into contact with the center chamber 36 of the side airbag device 30 to maintain the stability of the attitude of the airbag 31 . As shown in FIG. 2 , this cutout portion 24 can suppress the movement of the airbag 31 in the direction of the arrow a3, and can enhance the stable posture (stabilization) of the airbag 31 .

The seat 17 has: a seat cushion 26 supporting the waist of the occupant 19; a seat back 27 mounted on the seat cushion 26 in a tiltable manner and supporting the back of the occupant 19; It is attached to the upper portion of the seat back 27 so as to be able to move up and down freely, and supports the head of the occupant 19 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the side airbag device 30 includes an airbag 31 provided on the door-side side surface 27 a of the seat back 27 and an inflator 32 provided in the airbag 31 and supported. On the door-side side surface 27 a of the seat back 27 .

The airbag 31 is stored in a folded state on the door-side side surface 27 a of the seat back 27 , and is deployed between the vehicle compartment side wall (door) 14 and the occupant 19 by gas supply from the inflator 32 . And the airbag 31 has an upper chamber 34, a lower chamber 35, and an intermediate chamber 36, wherein the upper chamber 34 expands from the upper side of the seat 17 to the chest and shoulders of the occupant, and the lower chamber 35 extends from the lower side of the seat 17 to the occupant. The middle chamber 36 has a front edge 36a extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deployment direction of the airbag 31 at the rear of the front edge 34a of the upper chamber 34 and the front edge 35a of the lower chamber 35. Furthermore, the intermediate chamber 36 constitutes an intermediate region of the airbag front edge portion 41 . Furthermore, the airbag 31 also has a first non-inflatable portion 47 spanning between the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 and an upper intra-chamber non-inflatable portion 39 provided on the upper chamber 34 .

Among them, since the upper cavity 34 is a relatively large cavity, it is necessary to restrict the thickness in order to ensure the development area. Therefore, the upper intraluminal non-inflatable portion 39 is provided.

The inflator 32 has an elongated cylindrical inflator case 42 attached to the door side surface 27 a of the seat back 27 via the air bag 31 , and explosives (not shown) housed in the inflator case 42 . ; the first gas supply port 43, which is located at one end of the cylindrical body of the inflatable part housing 42; the second gas supply port 44, which is located at the other end of the cylindrical body of the inflatable part housing 42; the third gas The supply port 48 is provided in front of the inflator case 42 .

As shown in FIGS. 3( a ) and 4 ( a ), before the inflator 32 (see FIG. 2 ) is ignited, the airbag 31 is stored in a folded state on the door side surface 27 a of the seat back 27 . At this time, as shown in FIG. 4( b ), the airbag 31 is entirely folded in a roll shape or a corrugated shape from the airbag front edge portion 41 toward the inflator 32 side.

An example of how the airbag 31 is folded is shown in FIGS. 5( a ) to 5 ( d ).

As shown in FIG. 5( a ), as an example, roll folding is performed on the front end side of the airbag 31 (see FIG. 2 ), and roll folding is performed on the middle chamber 36 side in the direction opposite to the front end side of the airbag 31 .

That is, the airbag 31 is folded and accommodated by the front end folded portion 49a and the inflator side folded portion 49a, wherein the front edge 34a of the upper chamber 34 and the front edge 35a of the lower chamber 35 shown in FIG. 2 are folded to form a front end folded portion. 49a, the upper chamber 34 and the inflatable part 32 side of the lower chamber 35 are folded together with the intermediate chamber 36 to form an inflatable part side folded part 49b. Thereby, the pressure of the intermediate chamber 36 can be raised first by making the inflation timings of the inflator side folded portion 49 b and the front end folded portion 49 a different. This enables stable deployment of the airbag 31 .

As shown in FIG. 5( b ), roll-folding is performed on the front end side of the airbag 31 , and wave-folding is performed on the side of the intermediate chamber 36 . Therefore, it is preferable to configure in such a way that not only the middle part of the airbag 31 including the middle chamber 36 is folded independently, but also the internal pressure of the middle part of the airbag 31 is increased earlier than the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35. .

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5( c ) and FIG. 5( d ), the airbag 31 can be easily accommodated by performing the same rolling or corrugated folding on the entire airbag 31 .

As shown in FIGS. 3( b ) and 4 ( b ), once the inflator 32 is ignited, gas is immediately supplied to the inflator 32 side of the upper chamber 34 and lower chamber 35 of the airbag 31 and the middle chamber 36 . Therefore, the airbag 31 inflates in a state where the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 are connected by the intermediate chamber 36 . The intermediate chamber 36 restricts separation in the vicinity of the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 , and supports the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 against the inflatable portion 32 side and the vehicle compartment wall surface 14 , thereby promoting deployment.

As shown in Figure 3(c) and Figure 4(c), after the inflatable part 32 (refer to Figure 2) is ignited, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the front edge 34a side of the upper chamber 34 and the front edge 35a of the lower chamber 35 are removed from the middle chamber. The leading edge 36a of the airbag 36 is further inflated forward, and the inflation of the airbag 31 is completed.

In the side airbag device 30 , the airbag 31 is stored in a folded state, and is deployed between the vehicle compartment side wall and the occupant 19 by supplying gas from the inflator 32 . The airbag 31 has an upper chamber 34 extending forward from above the armrest 23 formed on the side wall of the vehicle compartment, that is, the upper side of the seat 17, and a lower chamber 35 extending forward from below the armrest 23, that is, the lower side of the seat 17.

Furthermore, the airbag 31 has an intermediate chamber 36 formed on the inflatable portion 32 side between these upper chambers 34 and lower chambers 35, the intermediate chamber 36 being in front of the front edge 34a of the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35. The edge 35a has a front edge 36a extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the deployment direction (arrow a4 direction) of the airbag 31 and constituting the middle portion of the airbag front edge portion 41 at a position rearward compared to the edge 35a. 36 is inflated before the upper chamber 34 and lower chamber 35 are inflated. Thus, the shapes of the upper cavity 34 and the lower cavity 35 can be stabilized early. In addition, since the front and rear expansion range of the middle chamber 36 is limited, the volume of the middle chamber 36 is smaller than that of the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 . Thereby, the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 can be deployed quickly without interfering with the armrest 23 and the like as a whole.

In addition, the intermediate cavity 36 can be inflated after abutting against the armrest portion 23 . Accordingly, the airbag 31 can be supported on the armrest portion 23 via the intermediate chamber 36 . As a result, the shape and deployed posture of the airbag 31 can be stabilized.

Furthermore, since the intermediate cavity 36 can be inflated after being in contact with the armrest 23 , the armrest 23 can be smoothly covered with the intermediate cavity 36 . As a result, the vicinity of the abdomen of the occupant 19 can also be restrained effectively by the intermediate cavity 36 .

The airbag 31 has a first non-inflatable portion 47 spanning between the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35, and the first non-inflatable portion 47 is disposed on the side opposite to the inflatable portion 32 with respect to the middle chamber 36, so that the The separation of the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 located in front of the intermediate chamber 36 can stabilize the airbag 31 after deployment.

As shown by the dotted line, the airbag 31 may also have a second non-inflatable portion 37 spanning between the upper cavity 34 and the lower cavity 35 . According to this configuration, the second non-inflatable portion 37 is arranged on the side opposite to the inflatable portion 32 with respect to the intermediate chamber 36, so that the separation between the upper chamber 34 and the lower chamber 35 can be restricted, and the inflated shape can be further stabilized. .

The armrest portion 23 has a cutout portion 24 that abuts on the middle cavity 36 to secure the stability of the attitude of the airbag 31 , and thus prevents the positional displacement of the middle cavity 36 . Furthermore, since the contact area between the compartment side wall (vehicle door) 14 and the intermediate chamber 36 can be increased, the restraint force on the occupant 19 can be improved.

(Example 2)

As shown in FIG. 6 , the side airbag device 50 includes: an airbag 51 provided on the door side surface 27a of the seat back 27; On the door side surface 27a.

The airbag 51 is stored in a folded state on the door side surface 27a of the seat back 27, and is deployed between the vehicle compartment side wall (door) 14 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the airbag 51 has an upper chamber 54 that expands above the armrest 24 formed on the side wall (door) 14 of the vehicle compartment; a lower chamber 55 that expands below the armrest 23; The inflatable portion 52 side between the upper chamber 54 and the lower chamber 55 is formed so as to overlap (overlap) the armrest portion 23 (see FIG. 1 ) in the vehicle width direction. The gas in the lower chamber 55 expands; the first non-inflatable portion 57 spans between the upper chamber 54 and the lower chamber 55; the third non-inflatable portion 58 is continuously provided with the above-mentioned first non-inflatable portion 57; the upper chamber The inner non-inflatable part 59 is provided on the upper chamber 54 .

The first non-inflatable portion 57 and the third non-inflatable portion 58 are disposed on a side opposite to the inflatable portion 52 with respect to the intermediate cavity 56 . The first non-inflatable portion 57 and the third non-inflatable portion 58 play a role in advancing the inflation timing of the intermediate chamber 56 based on the first to third gas pressures provided on the inflatable portion housing 62 . The gas flowing out of the supply ports 63, 64, 68. The other functions are substantially the same as those in Embodiment 1, so descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Example 3)

As shown in FIG. 7 , the side airbag device 70 includes an airbag 71 and an inflator 72 .

The airbag 71 is stored in a folded state on the door-side surface 27a of the seat back 27, and is deployed between the vehicle compartment side wall (door) 14 and the occupant 19 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the airbag 71 has: an upper cavity 74; a lower cavity 75; ) are formed in an overlapping (overlapping) manner, and can be expanded due to the gas passing through the lower cavity 75; the first non-inflatable portion 77 spans between the upper cavity 74 and the lower cavity 75; the non-inflatable portion in the upper cavity part 79, which is provided on the upper chamber 74.

In this embodiment, only in that the middle chamber 76 is a chamber that is independently divided from the upper chamber 74 or the lower chamber 75 and can protrude forward as shown by arrow c3 is different from the first and second embodiments, and is different from the first and second embodiments in other respects. The first and second embodiments are substantially the same. In this structure, there is an advantage that adjustment of the expansion timing and volume of the intermediate chamber 76 is easy.

(Example 4)

As shown in FIG. 8 , the side airbag device 90 includes an airbag 91 and an inflator 92 .

The airbag 91 is stored in a folded state on the door-side surface 27a of the seat back 27, and is deployed between the compartment side wall (door) 14 and the occupant 19 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the airbag 91 has: an upper chamber 94; a lower chamber 95; ) are formed in an overlapping (overlapping) manner, and can be expanded due to the gas passing through the lower cavity 95; the first non-inflatable portion 97 spans between the upper cavity 94 and the lower cavity 95; the non-inflatable portion in the upper cavity part 99, which is provided on the upper chamber 94.

This embodiment differs from Embodiments 1 to 3 in that the intermediate chamber 96 is formed above the lower chamber 95 , but is substantially the same in other respects. Generally, when the waist is restrained, it is difficult for the occupant to move due to the deployment of the airbag 91 , so it is preferable that the lower chamber 95 be at a high pressure at the initial stage of deployment. Therefore, by forming the intermediate chamber 96 on the side of the smaller lower chamber 95 , there is an advantage that the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber 96 can be easily set higher than that of the upper chamber 94 at the initial stage of deployment.

In addition, in the side airbag device of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 , the side airbag device 30 is provided between the occupant 19 and the door 14, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the door 14 may be a side wall of the vehicle compartment.

(industrial applicability)

The side airbag device of the present invention is preferably applied to passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks.

Claims (2)

1. a side air bag device has air bag, and this air bag is contained with folded state, and by supplying with and between passenger compartment side wall and occupant, launch from the gas of charging portion, it is characterized in that this side air bag device comprises: upper chambers, it forwards launches from the top, side of attending a banquet; Lower chamber, it forwards launches from the bottom, side of attending a banquet; Intermediate cavity, it is formed on the described charging portion side between described upper chambers and the described lower chamber, and having a leading edge, this leading edge extends to form at the rear of comparing with the leading edge of the leading edge of described upper chambers and described lower chamber and in the direction with the expansion direction approximate vertical of described air bag

Have the first unexpansive portion that is crossed between described upper chambers and the described lower chamber, with respect to described intermediate cavity, the described first unexpansive portion be configured in a side relative with described charging portion,

Between described intermediate cavity and described charging portion, have the second unexpansive portion,

With armrest part relative dispose of described intermediate cavity with described passenger compartment side wall, have the portion of cutting out at this armrest part, this cuts out portion and described intermediate cavity butt, keeps the stability of the attitude of described air bag.

2. side air bag device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that, by front end folding part and charging portion side folding part airbag fold is taken in, and wherein, described front end folding part is by folding the forming of leading edge with leading edge and the described lower chamber of described upper chambers; Described charging portion side folding part is by with the described charging portion side of described upper chambers and described lower chamber and described intermediate cavity folding forming together.

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